Governor appoints Franklin County Probate Court Judge Eric Brown to chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
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Governor appoints Franklin County Probate Court Judge Eric Brown to chief
justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today selected Franklin County Probate Court Judge Eric Brown to fill the chief justice vacancy created by the untimely death of the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer.
Brown will join the Ohio Supreme Court on Monday, May 3.
“It is with great sadness that we face a vacancy on Ohio’s high court after the death of a friend and extraordinary public servant," Strickland said.
"But I believe that Eric is now the best person to serve as chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. Eric’s 30 years of public service combined with his
management experience and legal knowledge and expertise, inside and outside of government, make him uniquely qualified to lead the court.”
As judge of the Franklin County Probate Court, the largest single-judge probate court in Ohio, Brown oversees a staff of 50 employees, including
seven magistrates. While serving on the probate court, he was appointed to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on the Rules of Practice and
Procedure. He was elected to the Probate Court in 2008.
He also currently serves as an appointed board member of the Franklin County Criminal Justice Planning Board, a board that provides oversight for
criminal and juvenile programs funded through the county.
Prior to election to the Probate Court, Brown, 56, served as a magistrate on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas for two years (2003-2005) before he was elected to a judgeship on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, General Division in 2004. As a Common Pleas judge, he presided over more
than 5,000 cases, of which nearly 3,000 were civil cases and more than 2,100 were criminal cases.
“The late Chief Justice Moyer left a tremendous legacy of professionalism, collaboration and respect for justice, and I am humbled to succeed him as
Ohio’s chief justice,” Brown said.
From 1992-2002, Eric served as an assistant attorney general for Ohio Attorneys General Lee Fisher and Betty Montgomery. He served as the tobacco
litigation counsel from 1996-2002. His work on that case included preparing and filing the lawsuit; managing the team of assistant attorneys general and
special counsels working on the case; participating in negotiations; and implementing and enforcing the settlement in Ohio. During his time in the
Office of the Ohio Attorney General, he also served as the assistant chief of the consumer protection section. There, Brown supervised a staff of 65,
including lawyers, investigators and a consumer complaint unit to investigate and resolve consumer disputes.
“Nearly 10 weeks ago I made it clear that I thought Eric should be the next chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, and my selection of him to fill
this unfortunate vacancy on the court is a reflection of my continued belief that he has the skills and life experiences to be an effective chief justice,” Strickland said.
Brown began his law career in Cleveland in private practice handling a wide array of legal issues, including legal services for the elderly and their
families to criminal and civil litigation and business and real estate transactions.
Brown was an elected member of the Mayfield City School District Board of Education from 1978-1992. Before joining the legal profession, he was a
small business owner in Cleveland. He established and operated the American Pool Supply and Service Company, a residential and commercial swimming pool
service business, and sold the company in 1979.
As chief justice, Brown’s salary will be $150,850.
Brown received a bachelor’s degree in history from Cleveland State University in 1975 and a law degree from the Cleveland Marshall College of
Law in 1979. He’s been married for more than 36 years to Marilyn Brown, currently a Franklin County commissioner. They have two daughters: Beryl,
a lawyer with the Ohio Industrial Commission, and Daryn, a stage manager and event planner in New York City. Eric and Marilyn have three grandsons:
Vincent, 6, Max, 3, and Alex, 6 weeks. The Browns are members of Congregation Tifereth Israel in Columbus.
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today selected Franklin County Probate Court Judge Eric Brown to fill the chief justice vacancy created by the untimely death of the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer.
Brown will join the Ohio Supreme Court on Monday, May 3.
“It is with great sadness that we face a vacancy on Ohio’s high court after the death of a friend and extraordinary public servant," Strickland said.
"But I believe that Eric is now the best person to serve as chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. Eric’s 30 years of public service combined with his management experience and legal knowledge and expertise, inside and outside of government, make him uniquely qualified to lead the court.”
As judge of the Franklin County Probate Court, the largest single-judge probate court in Ohio, Brown oversees a staff of 50 employees, including seven magistrates. While serving on the probate court, he was appointed to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure. He was elected to the Probate Court in 2008.
He also currently serves as an appointed board member of the Franklin County Criminal Justice Planning Board, a board that provides oversight for criminal and juvenile programs funded through the county.
Prior to election to the Probate Court, Brown, 56, served as a magistrate on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas for two years (2003-2005) before he was elected to a judgeship on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, General Division in 2004. As a Common Pleas judge, he presided over more than 5,000 cases, of which nearly 3,000 were civil cases and more than 2,100 were criminal cases.
“The late Chief Justice Moyer left a tremendous legacy of professionalism, collaboration and respect for justice, and I am humbled to succeed him as
Ohio’s chief justice,” Brown said.
From 1992-2002, Eric served as an assistant attorney general for Ohio Attorneys General Lee Fisher and Betty Montgomery. He served as the tobacco
litigation counsel from 1996-2002. His work on that case included preparing and filing the lawsuit; managing the team of assistant attorneys general and
special counsels working on the case; participating in negotiations; and implementing and enforcing the settlement in Ohio. During his time in the Office of the Ohio Attorney General, he also served as the assistant chief of the consumer protection section. There, Brown supervised a staff of 65, including lawyers, investigators and a consumer complaint unit to investigate and resolve consumer disputes.
“Nearly 10 weeks ago I made it clear that I thought Eric should be the next chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, and my selection of him to fill this unfortunate vacancy on the court is a reflection of my continued belief that he has the skills and life experiences to be an effective chief justice,” Strickland said.
Brown began his law career in Cleveland in private practice handling a wide array of legal issues, including legal services for the elderly and their families to criminal and civil litigation and business and real estate transactions.
Brown was an elected member of the Mayfield City School District Board of Education from 1978-1992. Before joining the legal profession, he was a small business owner in Cleveland. He established and operated the American Pool Supply and Service Company, a residential and commercial swimming pool service business, and sold the company in 1979.
As chief justice, Brown’s salary will be $150,850.
Brown received a bachelor’s degree in history from Cleveland State University in 1975 and a law degree from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law in 1979. He’s been married for more than 36 years to Marilyn Brown, currently a Franklin County commissioner. They have two daughters: Beryl, a lawyer with the Ohio Industrial Commission, and Daryn, a stage manager and event planner in New York City. Eric and Marilyn have three grandsons: Vincent, 6, Max, 3, and Alex, 6 weeks. The Browns are members of Congregation Tifereth Israel in Columbus.
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